


Harry Potter But Better: The Sorcerer's stone

by BBeth68



Series: Harry Potter But Better [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: LGBT+, Mcgonagall is the headmaster, So is Hermione, cedric is fine, dumbedore doesnt exist, harry is black and also gay, my favorite characters live, ron is trans, sirius is fine, snape dies i hate him, these are my characters now i get to choose the story, this is a fic that caters to my needs, tho i did make snape a decent person here, who can stop me? no one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2020-07-25 01:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20024446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BBeth68/pseuds/BBeth68
Summary: I'm rewriting Harry Potter cause I like the characters and world but I hate the story and J K Rowling so this story is mine now





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I just realized I fucked up the tags, none of the relationships or anything happen in this book, and at least one of the characters I tagged doesn't show up until later. Sorry 'bout that, I don't know how this website works, I'm still learning. I also don't know how to fix it-

"Professor McGonagall, please---"  
  
"No, Sirius. It must be done this way." McGonagall gently pushed Sirius back. Sirius looked pained, staring at the bundle Hagrid held. Little baby Harry Potter was fast asleep. Hagrid didn't seem to notice the quarrel Sirius and McGonagall were having, he was so busy cooing over the him.  
  
"Why can't I take him? He's my godson, for heaven's sake!" Sirius reached once again for Harry, but McGonagall held out her hand to stop him.  
  
"Lily and James have just died, Sirius, and you know as well as I that you will be the prime suspect. Harry's unfortunately not safe with you." McGonagall's harsh tone then softened. "You know I would leave him with you otherwise."  
  
Sirius opened his mouth, no words coming out. McGonagall turned to Hagrid. "Hagrid, dear." Hagrid was startled, turning quickly to her, upset at being interrupted telling Harry what a good baby he is.  
  
"Er, yeah, of course, but uh… Do we have to leave him so soon?" Hagrid asked. McGonagall nodded, offering no more words. Hagrid accepted defeat, and carefully placed the baby by the door of the Dursley's. He sniffed. "Stay safe little buddy."  
  
Hagrid walked back to his motorcycle, sobbing the whole way. Sirius shook his head angrily. "I could keep him safe. I know I could! Just give me a chance---"  
  
He was interrupted once again, McGonagall's sharp tone returning. "We can't risk it! He's just a child in a complicated situation he doesn't deserve, and this is the safest option for him."  
  
Sirius stared at Harry. "Fine. But you can't stop me from protecting him." He raised his head back to McGonagall, his gaze unbreaking and determined.  
  
McGonagall laughed. "I never said you couldn't." She began walking away, waving her hand towards Sirius, amused by his shocked expression. "Just don't let him know it's you. And don't stay around too often."  
  
"Of… of course! Of course Minerva. Thank you Minerva!"  
  
Once McGonagall was out of sight, Sirius transformed into a black dog. He hesitated at Harry's side for a moment. The door began to open, and Padfoot rushed off.  
  
And so Harry's story began.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's magic and snakes and dogs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not your friend and you have no say over my fic choices. Leave your hate comments at the door or stick around and have fun like a sensible person.  
> Anyways, this chapter is practically the same as the book and I didn't want to write it but I did anyways. There's some minor differences of course. Things will get much more interesting in later chapters I promise.

"WAKE UP HARRY!!!"

The thumping from the stairs shook dust all over Harry. Dudley's maniacal laughing raced away. Harry groggily reached for his glasses and the light switch, which illuminated himself this bright "cheerful" morning.

10 year old Harry ran a hand through his dark hair and opened the door to the cupboard he stayed in. His cousin Dudley once again raced by, pushing Harry back into the closet, laughing again while he ran back upstairs. Despite this, Harry's only reaction was to come out again, and he made his way to the living room.

His aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, sat there, carefully stacking presents. Of course. It was Dudley's birthday. No wonder he was so eager to push Harry around, he could get away with anything today just because it's his birthday.

When looking at this family, Harry really wouldn't be all that different from them. He shared Petunia's dark hair and skinny frame, he was short and had a round face like Vernon and Dudley. But, aside from the differences that lay inside their personalities, there was one stark difference between Harry and the rest of them.

His skin was as dark as the night. They shamed him for it, but then again, they shamed everything else. They seemed to love to make fun of his dead mother for marrying someone with skin as black as that.

"Morning," Harry greeted them.

"Set the table," Vernon replied. He didn't even look up from the presents.

Harry set the table.

The morning was a blur to him. Dudley screaming and yelling and throwing a tantrum when things went wrong. Harry only existing to do the chores and be Dudley's punching bag. Harry did what he was told, but his mind traveled elsewhere. He suddenly snapped out of it when Petunia called his name.

"Harry! Get dressed, boy, we need to go!"

"Go…? Go where?"

Petunia rolled her eyes. "The zoo! Like Dudley's been yelling about all day? Stop being so daft."

"Yeah, Harry, stop being so daft!" Dudley echoed from behind her. His grin was full of malice.

Harry got dressed.

The zoo was, in the nicest way possible, incredibly boring and not worth their time. Dudley was ever disappointed, and Harry ever wary Dudley would take it out on him.

"MOVE!!!!" Dudley slammed his fists on the snake enclosure glass. The giant ball python ignored him, choosing to sleep instead of move. Harry wished he could take its place. Dudley angrily stormed off, his parents trailing behind him.

Harry took one step, then froze as he heard a voice.

"How do you put up with him?"

He turned slowly. The ball python stared at him.

"Are you… talking to me?" He asked incredulously.

The snake nodded.

"...Well, I've finally gone off my rocker, haven't I?"

"That is a possibility."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now listen, if you get me out of here, I can brighten up your day. You don't seem to like that boy very much. I don't either. Let's help each other."

Harry squinted in confusion. "How am I supposed to get you out of there?"

"You have magic don't you?" The snake sounded almost insulted by the fact that Harry couldn't just magic away the glass containing it.

"I… I'm afraid I don't understand---" Harry couldn't finish his thought, because the glass disappeared, and the snake took no hesitation in getting out. Screams rang out from the direction it fled. The loudest was Dudley's high pitched scream as the snake approached him. It did nothing but approach, taunting him in snake speak and laughing at his panic. Harry couldn't help but smile.

The Dursley's quickly grabbed Harry and left. Harry waved to the snake, and it nodded again, leaving to cause mischief. On his way out, Harry saw movement in the bushes. For a moment he saw a black dog, but as soon as Harry noticed, it vanished. Harry's smile grew.

His good luck dog must've had something to do with this. Every time it appeared, something good happened to Harry. That day was no exception.

~~~~~~

The letters began the day after.

Harry had never gotten a letter before, so when he fetched the mail and there was a fancy letter just for him, to say he was surprised was an understatement.

"Look at this Petunia, these bills are outrageous," Vernon said. Harry quickly opened his letter while they were distracted.

_ Dear Harry Potter, _

"DAD! Look at that, Harry's got a letter!" Dudley exclaimed, snatching the letter from Harry's hand. "What's a Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts?" Petunia turned slowly to Harry. He took a step back. She seemed more concerned than angry, which was strange for her.

"It's simply spam mail, nothing more. Go to your rooms now, Dudley, Harry." Vernon said. He tried to sound calm, but everyone could tell he was… scared.

Dudley and Harry left, but as soon as they were out of the room, Dudley shoved Harry against a wall. "What would a school named Hogwarts want with you, eh? Maybe it's called Hogwarts because it's for people as ugly as you!"

"What school? What did the letter say?" Harry said, his curiosity overcoming his fear. A school? A school that wanted him? He needed to know more. "Dudley, please, what did it say?"

"That doesn't matter now, dad said it's spam mail. They probably sent it to the wrong person!" Dudley pushed Harry to the floor, giving him one last look of hatred before going upstairs to his room.

~~~~~~

The letters kept coming back every couple days, and the Dursley's kept taking them away. Harry couldn't understand why they were so desperate to prevent him from reading them. Did he do something wrong?

One day, the letters came in a horde. There was a pile of letters with their daily mail, and with each one Vernon ripped up, a new one came through all the entrances of the house. Soon, the floor was covered in the yellowed papers. Amidst the chaos of Vernon screaming as more and more letters appeared, Harry managed to grab one and hide it in his cupboard to read later without the family knowing. Late at night, he grabbed a flashlight and read it as quietly as possible.

_ Dear Harry Potter, _

_ You have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! We look forward to seeing you at the start of the school year! One of our teachers, Hagrid, will be arriving to take you to buy your things and get you to the school. _

_ And Mister Dursley, if you ignore these letters one more time, there will be consequences! _

_ Signed, _

_ Headmistress McGonagall _

_ Professor Snape _

_ Gamemaster Hagrid _

Witchcraft and Wizardry! This really was spam mail!

… But Harry knew better. The snake, the dog… If magic was real, the strange things in his life could finally be explained. Harry reread the letter, laughing at the last bit about Vernon. The idea of Vernon finally getting punished was incredible!

The next day was the first day in weeks that Harry didn't receive a letter. As well as the next day. And the next. Harry began to assume that maybe it really had been some weird scam. The Dursley's certainly treated it like one.

He saw his good luck dog much more often, but its luck must've been running out since nothing particularly good happened when it appeared. It just watched him before vanishing as it always did.

By the time Harry's 11th birthday rolled around, the letter incident was out of his mind. His birthday was nothing special. He wasn't sure the Dursley's even know his birthday existed, like he just appeared one day and that was it.

"Harry, pick that up," Petunia said, gesturing at a pile of Dudley's toys.

Harry cleaned it up.

"Harry, stay out of the damn way!" Vernon exclaimed.

Harry stayed out of the way.

"Harry, answer the door already," Vernon commanded.

Harry opened the door.

And stumbled back when a large hairy man shouted "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!", shoving a brightly wrapped present into his arms. "I'm sure you don't remember me, we met when you were just an itty bitty baby! Oh how you've grown!" The man wore a coat that was much too large for him, which was an impressive feat with just how large he was. His hair and beard covered most of his face, but his excitement shone through.

Harry had no idea how to respond, confused by… well, everything. Vernon jumped up from his seat and rushed to the door. "No! Absolutely not. Harry, throw that away, you can't just take presents from strangers."

"Oi!" Hagrid said, insulted. "I've met Harry. Sure it was 10 years ago but we're practically best mates, right Harry?"

"I… I… Excuse me?" Harry stammered.

"You will not be taking Harry, you beast!" Petunia came to stand her ground against Hagrid, but he easily towered over her intimidatingly.

“What? Where would he be taking me? What’s going on?”

“I---” Hagrid began.

“It doesn’t matter, the only thing that does matter is that he won’t be taking you!”

While the 4 of them were distracted, Dudley grabbed the present from Harry. "Who would ever give you something?"

"Give it back, Dudley!" Harry reached for his present, but Dudley backed up.

"Young man, that's a present for Harry here, not you," Hagrid said.

Dudley opened it. "It's a cake!"

"Young man---"

"Come on, I'm just taking one slice."

Hagrid sighed, and waved his hand. The cake launched out of Dudley's hands and into Hagrid's. Dudley stared, mouth agape. Hagrid packed the cake back up and started turning to leave. "Now, I'll be takin' Harry to Hogwarts like we've arranged. C'mon Harry."

"Hogwarts!" Harry grinned.

"No, I don't believe we arranged this! He won't be going with you!" Vernon protested.

"Sir, I'm certain McGonagall talked to you about this. You don't have a choice here." Hagrid didn't wait for a response, but walked away, waving his hand to gesture for Harry to follow. Harry hesitated, turning to the Dursleys. They all looked outraged. It was so… satisfying.

He followed Hagrid, eager to experience this new world of magic.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> get in bitches we're going shopping

Harry followed Hagrid, a slight skip in his step. He had never felt so free. He had just defied his family! He didn’t know he could do that!

“Oh, Harry, hope you don’t mind, but you’re not the only one I had to pick up today.” Hagrid said, waving to his motorcycle. A young girl Harry’s age was sitting in the side car enthusiastically waving back. She was waving so violently the tight curly pigtails she had bounced. “That there is Angelica Jones! Go get acquainted, I’ll get everything ready to go.”

“Wait! I didn’t uh… I didn’t catch your name, sir,” Harry said anxiously. He trusted this man without a doubt and felt rather stupid for not knowing his name. “...Also, I didn’t grab my things. You aren’t going back inside, are you?”

“Name’s Hagrid! And of course not.” Hagrid put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. An annoyed snarl replied from the side of the house, and Harry’s good luck dog appeared dragging Harry’s suitcase back to Hagrid. Hagrid patted the dog’s head, which it didn’t seem to appreciate. “Thanks Padfoot. You best get out of here and don’t come back. They’ve been noticing you ‘round here.”

Padfoot nodded, and ran off. Harry couldn’t believe it. His good luck dog was not only real, but had a name and knew his new friend Hagrid!

While Hagrid checked the suitcase to make sure everything was there, Harry stepped into the sidecar of the motorcycle. It was a little cramped with both Angelica and Harry, but they were small enough it wasn’t too much of a problem. Harry was just very uncomfortable.

“Hi there!” Angelica began to gush. “My name’s Angelica, though some people just call me Angel. You’re Harry Potter right? Is it true you survived an attack from you-know-who? I can’t believe I’m meeting a superstar! Do you wanna be friends? Not cause you’re a superstar haha, though that would be pretty cool, you just look neat!”

She talked so fast Harry couldn’t keep up. “I’m sorry?”

“About what?”

“No, I mean… what are you talking about? Am I famous?”

“Of course! You’re the only person who ever survived an attack from you-know-who.”

“Actually, I really don’t know who.”

Angelica gasped in horror. “You don’t KNOW?”

Harry tried to shrink down, which was very difficult in the cramped space. He could feel his face burn red. “Sorry… I’m new to this whole wizard thing.”

Angelica was about to launch into an explanation, but a loud scoff from Hagrid cut her off. "Just call him Voldemort. His name only has power if you let it have power." Angelica's face went pale with fear at Voldemort's name. She held her breath for several moments in anticipation. Nothing happened, though.

"I still don't know who that is, Hagrid," Harry said.

Hagrid started up the motorcycle which, to Harry's surprise, started to fly. Soon they were speeding through the sky. Angelica shouted in delight.

"Voldemort is the one who killed your parents, Harry. He almost got you, too, but somehow you lived," Hagrid yelled through the wind. "He's a dangerous wizard. Under normal circumstancest, you would've died."

"Normal circumstances? What's that supposed to mean?" Harry shouted back.

"What? I can't hear you!"

"Normal--- oh, nevermind."

The three of them continued without speaking since it was too hard to with the wind. Harry could hardly believe any of this was real. It felt like any moment he'd wake up and this fantastic dream would be gone.

Yet the wind still ripped through his coat and hair, Angelica still cheered in delight next to him at every little thing, it all felt so real and so wonderful. He hoped it would never end.

~~~~~~

"Alrighty then," Hagrid said, "This here is Diagon Alley! We're gonna get you two some school supplies! First stop, Gringotts! That's the bank, we're heading there to get you some money."

Harry and Angelica gaped in awe at the street lined end to end with shops and people. There was so much to take in. Gringotts was easy enough to find, being one of the fanciest spots around.

Walking inside it took all the excitement they had and suffocated it. The main hall was very large, and every footstep echoed far louder than Harry would've liked. Despite all the staff members that lined the desks filling the hall, it was suspiciously quiet. Harry wanted to shrink down into a ball and disappear. He shouldn't be here.

The spell was broken by Angelica screeching, "IS THAT A DRAGON?"

She pointed at the nearest desk and sure enough, the bank teller there had a small baby dragon in his hand. It belched out a tiny burst of flame at her in fear, then rushed into the teller's hair. He chuckled. "Sorry about that, this guy gets scared really easily."

Angelica had literal tears streaming down her face. "Please tell them I love them."

"Will do!" He replied with a grin. "Enjoy your visit to Gringotts!"

"I will now!" Angelica waved enthusiastically before returning to Hagrid's side. Hagrid had a big dopey smile. Harry couldn't help but smile too. Baby dragons! Now that he began to notice, it was apparent that all the other tellers had baby dragons with them as well! It was incredible!

After a quick chat with the person at the front desk, the trio were led into the caves of Gringotts. They traveled in what functioned as a mine cart but with seats. It moved faster than Harry expected and filled him with exhilaration.

Angelica had the first stop. She had a small vault with not much inside. She took only what she thought she'd need, which ended up being most of the gold coins there. Her sad smile said more than anything she could have, if she had bothered to say anything at all. They continued on a little more solemn than before.

Harry had low expectations for his vault, especially after seeing Angelica's. Did he even have any money?

Hagrid was trying not to grin when they got there, which confused Harry… until the vault door was opened. Harry's jaw dropped at just how much was there.

"Is… is this…?" Harry couldn't get the words out.

"You didn't think your parents left you with nothing, did you?" Hagrid said with a chuckle.

Harry turned to Angelica to say more, but the words died in his mouth when he saw her expression. She was just as amazed as he was, but there was something else there as well.

Longing.

He decided immediately that this wouldn't do, but he also knew she would probably refuse any money he tried to give her. In the span of a few seconds, he had his plan laid out and ready. He took far more from his vault than he really needed. Hagrid gave him a confused stare, which Harry responded with by glancing at Angelica and back to Hagrid. Recognition dawned in his eyes, and he chose to say nothing about it.

"Right, come on you two, we got one last stop to hit," Hagrid said.

Angelica seemed a bit more quiet this time. Harry prompted her by asking questions -- did you have any idea there'd be baby dragons here? If you had a dragon what would you name it? -- and soon the two of them were giggling and smiling again.

They arrived at the last vault and Harry noticed Hagrid looked a little anxious. Angelica started to step out, but he stopped her.

"Stay here, this will only take me a moment." He left, leaving Harry and Angelica to wonder what this was about. They didn't have long to wonder. Hagrid returned fairly quickly like he had said he would.

Before the vault closed, Harry glanced through to see what was in there. He was surprised to find it empty.

"What was in there?" he asked.

"Nothin' important. Just something I had to check up on," Hagrid said.

Back in the main hall, Angelica said hello to the baby dragon she'd startled earlier. It seemed less afraid of her this time and even let her pat it. She was so excited, Harry thought she would explode.

"You've got your money now, so are you ready to go shopping?" Hagrid said when they exited Gringotts. "I've got a list of stuff here that we'll need to be getting for ya. I think our first stop should be getting you your wands, don't you think?"

He led them to a shop called Ollivander's, where an old man was standing on a stool, sorting small boxes on a shelf. At the sound of the door, he turned to greet them with a smile.

"Hello there! Look at you little ones. First timers, I assume?" He said. Hagrid nodded and told them he had something to do, but he'd be back when they were done.

Ollivander quickly had them waving wands around trying to find the perfect match. Shelves explodes, lights shattered, and Ollivander's hair got yanked on with each attempt. He was patient with them and eventually found them both good wands.

However, when Harry received his wand, Ollivander's cheerful attitude faltered.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Oh, it could be nothing but… it's strange. The last owner of that wand was… you-know-who."

Harry looked down at his new wand. He thought maybe he'd feel strange or wrong, but nothing seemed to change. It was just a wand.

As the two kids started to leave, Hagrid came back, two cages in hand. "The list said you're allowed to have a pet to accompany you, so I thought I'd buy 'em for ya, as a gift!" Hagrid explained.

Inside the cage Hagrid handed to Harry was a little green garden snake. He stared at her. She stared back. He grinned. "She's perfect. Does she have a name?"

"You could ask me you know," she hissed at him. He was so startled he almost dropped the cage.

"Oh my goodness, are you talking to me? I suppose this isn't the first time this has happened…"

The snake let out a choked wheezing sound that concerned Harry until he realized she was laughing. "You're not the smartest boy are you?" Harry blushed. "My name is Hedwig. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too!" He replied. He then noticed that Angelica was staring at him, a black and white ferret on her arm.

"What… are you doing?" she asked.

Harry hesitated. "Talking to a snake, apparently."

With that settled, they went to continue their shopping trip.

They soon acquired robes, textbooks, quills and ink, and all kinds of other school supplies. Harry was getting more and more worried that he wouldn't be able to pull off his plan. He hadn't seen the perfect thing to buy yet, and they were so close to being finished. He walked into the last shop they were going to with his chin high, ready to find the perfect thing, but left disappointed. Hagrid and Angelica were cheerful and excited. They couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts! Harry couldn't either, but he couldn't help but feel bad. He wanted to buy something nice for Angelica but couldn't find something perfect to buy for her. He'd have to find some different way to make her happy.

Harry was so lost in thought about it that he ran right into someone.

"What the  _ hell _ \---" the tall man said, startled. He turned around in anger, glaring at whoever dared touch him. When his eyes landed on Harry, however, his jaw dropped. "...Harry…"

Before Harry could respond, Hagrid waved. "Hullo Severus! Harry, Angelica, this is Severus Snape, your potions teacher at Hogwarts! Oh Snape was a good friend of your parents, Harry!"

Snape's mouth was still wide open in shock. Shaking his head slightly, he smiled painfully at Hagrid. "I'd love to chat, but I really need to be getting back to the castle," he said. "I should be there now but I had to pick up some potion supplies. Really I should be getting back." The more he spoke the more rushed he got. Without saying goodbye, he awkwardly speed walked away.

"...Well, that sure was a conversation," Harry said sarcastically. "You said he knew my parents?"

"Oh yeah, they were close! Don't mind his manners, he's probably just shocked to see you. The last time he saw you was when you were a baby." Hagrid shook his head, chuckling. "He's always been a nervous one."

Harry cast one last look at the direction Snape had left, then followed Hagrid and Angelica. All his confusion and disappointment turned into excitement.

All their shopping was done!

Soon it would be time to leave for Hogwarts!!


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's not what he was expecting

"Alrighty, you two," Hagrid gently nudged Harry and Angelica towards the train. "I've got to get going. Hop on board and find some seats! I'll see you at Hogwarts!" He wandered towards the front of the train and was soon unable to keep track of in the crowd.  
Harry was still reeling from running right into a fake wall to get here. Everything about this was so strange and incredible! He was starting to get used to it, but it still surprised him often. Hedwig found his confusion amusing, hissing quiet laughs every time he stared at something in wonder. He was currently staring at the train, unable to process this was really happening.  
"Your friend hasss already boarded, you know," Hedwig said. With a jolt, Harry realized Angelica had indeed already gone on without him. His cheeks turning red with embarrassment, he rushed to try to join her.  
Inside the train, students buzzed with excitement. Harry immediately felt a little more comfortable since he realized everyone here was about his age. It felt nice to be around people like him. They talked openly about what they thought Hogwarts might be like; they were first years just like him!  
He searched for Angelica in the booths, but felt his heart sink when he did. She was in a full booth chatting away with the other 3 students in there. She noticed him before he could turn away.  
"Harry! I'm SO sorry I was so excited, I completely forgot to save you a seat, I'm so sorry! I promise, I'll see you back at Hogwarts, ok?" She grinned at him.  
"Yeah, of course. See you then," Harry smiled back sadly, turning quickly so she couldn't see how hurt he felt. Maybe he could find an empty booth and lock the door so he could be by himself for the whole train ride.  
However, looking for an empty booth, he found someone else doing the same thing he'd hoped to do. The red head kid sat by himself and stared gloomily out the window. Nobody in the corridor seemed to want to go in this booth. Harry hesitated. Then he sighed and entered.  
"Hello!" Harry held out his hand for a handshake. He tried to smile, but it was hard between the bouts of anxiety. "I'm Harry. Is it ok if I sit here?"  
The kid's face lit up. He shook his hand vigorously, and his joy rubbed off on Harry. "Yes, please do! My name is… Well, I'm not entirely sure yet, actually."  
"How can you not be sure of your name?" Harry asked, taking a seat across from the kid.  
"The name my parents gave me was a girls name," the kid said, scrunching up his nose. "I don't like it, so I'm choosing a new one. But I haven't decided yet."  
That made perfect sense to Harry. "Maybe I can help you decide?"  
"Oh! If you want to, yeah! I wanna try out a few names, maybe you can say… 'Hello, name, nice to meet you!' Then I can tell if I like people talking about me like that."  
"Alright, I can do that! What's the first one?"  
"Bert."  
"Hello, Bert, it's nice to meet you!"  
The kid thought about it for a moment. He shook his head. "Not that one. Try Ronald."  
"Hello, Ron, it's nice to meet you!"  
Immediately, the kid grinned. "Ron! My name is Ron Weasley!"  
Harry grinned back, happy to help him figure it out. He leaned back, feeling way more comfortable than he had when he entered.  
Ron gasped. "What's that?"  
"What? What's what?"  
"On your forehead!"  
Harry quickly moved his bangs back over his scar, but it was definitely too late.  
"Oh man… when you said your name is Harry, did you mean THE Harry? Harry Potter?" His eyes went wide. Under his breath, he continued, "Harry Potter helped me decide my name."  
Harry's face felt hot. He didn't want Ron to be friends with him just cause he was apparently famous. He didn't even know he was famous until recently.  
Apparently, his discomfort was obvious. Ron quickly shrugged it off. "That's pretty cool. But I'm not one to judge a book by its reputation. I'm gonna judge your book by its… Actions. This analogy isn't working like I thought it would and I would like to back out of it now."  
Harry couldn't help but start laughing. Ron snorted, and soon the two new friends were in a giggle fit. In between giggles, Ron tried to continue. "I just meant… hehehe… I mean! I think you're a very cool person, and not just cause you're Harry Potter. I just met you, but you're already the nicest person I've met all day! Thank you," he finished with a reassuring smile.  
"All I did was say hello," Harry said quizzically.  
Ron shrugged. "Most people have been ignoring me. My family has a sort of… reputation that people like to avoid."  
Before he could explain, shouts erupted from just outside the booth.  
"I'm just saying, if everything you've tried to grow keeps dying, get some succulents!"  
"I'm not going to resort to that, _Longbottom_! I can take care of any plant, I've read all the books on the matter!"  
"Hermione, no amount of books will change the fact that you killed your plants! Succulents aren't a lesser form of plant, they're just a little easier to take care of!"  
Ron rolled his eyes. "They're arguing over plants. How dull."  
"EXCUSE ME?!"  
A girl with a mass of curly black hair slammed the wall of the booth, glaring at Ron. Ron had pure terror written all over his face. Right behind the girl was a taller boy who was also glaring at Ron, his arms crossed. He looked like the kind of guy who couldn't hurt a fly if he tried. The girl, however, seemed like she could commit murder at the drop of a hat.  
"Nevermind! Keep arguing about plants!" Ron exclaimed.  
"Hello, welcome to our humble booth!" Harry said sarcastically.  
The boy stifled a laugh, while the girl's ice cold murder glare snapped onto Harry. He raised his hands defensively. She decided he wasn't worth it and went back to glaring at Ron.  
"Plants. Are not. Dull. And if you suggest otherwise, I will show you just how not dull a cactus can be when put in certain places."  
"I get it, I'm sorry! Please, enjoy your plants!"  
"Sorry to interrupt," the boy interrupted, "but uh… This is the only booth with seats open."  
Harry and Ron glanced at each other and shrugged. "The more the merrier, am I right?" Harry grinned.  
"Or the murder-y-er," Ron added under his breath.  
"I don't think she'll actually kill you. She's all bark, no bite," the boy said, sitting next to Harry. "Hi, my name's Neville. That plant killer there is Hermione."  
"I can introduce myself, Longbottom." Hermione sat next to Ron with a huff. "Hi. I'm Hermione Granger."  
"I'm Ron Weasley."  
"And I'm Harry. Yes, I'm THE Harry, Harry Potter, but it's not a big deal." He decided it would be best to rip the band aid off from now on. Hermione didn't seem to care, but Neville gasped.  
"He just said it's not a big deal," Ron said.  
"Right, sorry!" Neville replied, embarrassed.  
"Do you two know each other?" Harry asked before things could get more awkward.  
"We met 5 minutes ago in the train station!" Hermione explained not so helpfully. Harry waited for her to continue, but she did not.  
The train lurched as it started up. As the train got faster, so did Harry's head full of thoughts. He was so excited! But… terrified. Everything was happening so fast.  
Neville and Hermione continued their argument about plants as if they hadn't even stopped in the first place. Ron and Harry shrugged at each other helplessly.  
Time seemed to fly bye so quickly in that train. The four of them got to know each other, asking questions and telling stories, and they found that they just… clicked. Something about being friends just felt so right to them. Hermione may have been very terrifying at first, but getting to know her better, it was all more passion than anything. Ron was still having trouble warming up to her. She either didn't notice or didn't care.  
"So Harry," Neville began, "what do you--- Harry?"  
"Uh, sorry Neville can you give me just one second?" Harry didn't wait for a response before getting up and opening the booth door as fast as possible. He saw an opportunity and he was going to take it.  
The lady pushing the candy trolley got a nice surprise as Harry rushed out so fast he practically slammed into the wall of the train.  
"I'll buy the whole thing!" He exclaimed.  
He could hear the booths around him get quieter. Some of them even opened their doors to see what the commotion was about. In his booth, the other three kids were staring, mouths wide open.  
"Oh! Of course dear! If you're… sure you have enough money for that!"  
Harry's response was to pull out more than enough money. Her surprise quickly became a smile, and moments later the trolley was his. He hesitated, only now processing what he just did, but shook his head and started pulling it back towards where he had come in.  
"What are you doing?" Hermione began to exit the booth but Harry waved her off.  
"I'll be back in a second, I promise!"  
He stopped at a booth and knocked on its door. It had been too far away to have seen what he had done, so when Angelica saw him she just looked confused.  
Before she could ask what was happening, he said, "Take your pick!"  
Her eyes widened. She looked at the trolley, then back at Harry. Then at the trolley. Back to Harry. A huge grin spread across her face. "Really? Any of it?"  
"Yeah I just bought the whole thing!"  
She wasted no time snatching as many candies as her arms could carry, still grinning wildly at him. "Thank you so much!!!"  
He nodded, then turned back to the candy. He found a couple things he wanted to try, shoved them in his pockets, and shouted, "HEY! Free candy on me!"  
In moments kids surrounded the trolley, grabbing what they could and exclaiming thanks. Harry just smiled and walked back to his booth.  
Back in his booth, Harry handed the other kids candies he thought they'd like based on the conversations they'd had earlier. Ron tore his open with delight, while Hermione politely thanked him and put hers away. "For later since I know I'll want them," was her explanation.  
Neville, on the other hand, had a mostly unreadable expression. All Harry could pick out was the discomfort. Had he done something wrong? Had he grabbed the wrong candy? Neville slowly opened a box of jelly beans and nibbled on one, the expression still not leaving his face. Just when Harry couldn't stand it any more, he put the jelly beans down and asked.  
"Why? This is so unbelievably kind of you. Why would you do that?" His voice was soft and quiet.  
Harry was startled. Several times, he opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out.  
Why had he done that? He may have a lot of money, but it wasn't infinite. These were just a bunch of kids he didn't know. He wasn't trying to impress them either. So… why?  
With no other way to respond, he told Neville,

"Why wouldn't I?"

~~~~~~

The arrival at Hogwarts was a flurry of barely contained excitement, hushed whispers, and gentle awe. Harry couldn't even describe the emotion he felt staring up at the enormous castle they were headed towards.  
Amidst the chaos, Angelica nervously tapped Harry on the shoulder. "I'm really sorry about the train. Are you… are you mad at me?"  
Harry smiled and shook his head. "I understand how excited you were. I can hardly believe this either! I don't blame you for getting on so quickly."  
She smiled gratefully back at him, and he took her to meet his new friends. They accepted her into the group so quickly, and she seemed so happy to be with them.  
As they approached the castle, Harry looked around at other students hoping to figure out more about who he'd be spending the school year with. He certainly got what he hoped for. He caught sight of a blonde kid throwing rocks at another student while his buddies laughed. The kid saw Harry glaring at him and stuck his tongue out.  
"Uhg. Draco Malfoy." Ron said from beside Harry. "He and his family are a real piece of work. He's a pureblood and awfully proud of it too. Not that it even really matters."  
Harry didn't know what a pureblood was, but his decision based on this new bit of info was to stick his tongue out back at Draco. He gasped, insulted, and threw a rock at him next. He was promptly scolded by Hagrid.  
There was barely any time to take in how incredible the castle was with Hagrid and another teacher Harry didn't know the name of quickly guiding the kids along. They were given a tour of a small section of the castle, specifically things like the bathrooms and places to go if they need help, and outfitted with black robes. Harry thought the robes were cool, but his friends didn't seem to think they were as interesting as he did. Angelica complained about having no color or personality.  
They were taken up a grand set of stairs, and at the top was a teacher Harry recognized.  
"Good evening students," Snape began. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I see Hagrid and Sprout have gotten you prepared for tonight's events. You will be sorted into your houses through use of the sorting hat. After you've been sorted, you'll join your house for dinner."  
Snape locked eyes with Harry while scanning the crowd and Harry gave him a big smile. Snape seemed startled for only a moment and returned the slightest of smiles before continuing.  
"Tomorrow there will be a more formal tour of the school along with a more detailed outline of the rules. Your schedules will also be given to you during that time. However, for tonight, the rules are simple. Stay with the group or a teacher at all times. We are not responsible for anyone wandering off and getting lost." His voice raised during that last sentence, directed at a child who was attempting to sneak past Sprout down the stairs to go look at something. The other students snickered, but the child walked back to the group defiantly.  
"Now then. Is everyone ready?" Snape's question was met with a roar of excitement. His cold expression softened slightly at the response. "Come with me."  
Snape led them to a set of giant doors. With a wave of his wand, the doors opened.  
An explosion of cheers came from inside the grand hall. Far above them, trumpets played a fanfare and fireworks flashed. It was incredible! Yet… overwhelming. Harry covered his ears.  
"Greetings, students!" A voice called as the trumpets and cheers died down. A kindly old lady stood at the end of the hall, in front of the long table the teachers sat at. "I am Headmistress McGonagall! I'm so happy to see you all here. Now, I could go over the boring facts or give a heartfelt speech---" a boo from one of the tables "--- but I'm sure Snape told you what you need to know and you're tired of waiting. Let the sorting begin!"  
More cheers rang out. Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly not expecting to move on so quickly. He gave McGonagall a glare. She smiled mischievously.  
Snape walked forward to stand near a chair with an old wizard hat on it. He unfurled a parchment, cleared his throat, and called the first name.  
"Angelica Jones!"  
Angelica audibly gasped and ran towards the chair without hesitation. Snape put the hat on her head and to Harry's surprise, it started to speak.  
"Rather enthusiastic aren't you, Angelica?" it asked in a raspy voice. Angelica just nodded excitedly. "Jeez kid, be careful would you?" it asked while being jostled around. "I'm not as young as I used to be. Alright, let's see here…"  
The hat muttered under its breath for a while, then went silent. Angelica nervously bit her lip.  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted, and immediately one of the tables of students stood and cheered. Angelica glanced at Snape, who nodded and took the hat off, and she bolted for the table with a smile so big it barely fit on her face.  
Now that the first student had been sorted, everyone seemed more relaxed and eager. A handful of students went up before Harry, including Draco who went into Slytherin. He looked so full of himself when he got sorted there. Harry wanted to smack that smug grin off his face.  
"Harry Potter?" Snape called.  
Harry could hear murmurs of people asking "THE Harry Potter?" and "Is that what he said?", but thankfully most of them continued the applause they'd given everyone else. He stepped up to the chair and Snape put the hat on his head, giving him a slight reassuring smile.  
"Well, aren't you the confusing one?" the hat chuckled. "I've been on your head for 2 seconds and I'm already unsure. Well? What do you think?"  
He thought about this for a moment, scanning the crowds. His eyes locked with Draco's. Draco put his fingers into an L and held it up. Immediately, Harry felt his face burn with anger and blush.  
The hat hummed amusedly before loudly announcing its choice.  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
" _What_?" Harry whispered loudly, but the hat gave no response. Snape looked proud, and the crowd of students cheered, but Harry's heart sank. Draco looked shocked and disgusted, refusing to look at him when he approached the table. Harry sat down and looked at Ron desperately. All Ron could do was give him a look of pity.  
The rest of the night was a blur. He was vaguely aware of Ron and Neville going into Gryffindor and Hermione going into Ravenclaw. That just made his tears come faster. All his new friends got separated. Would they still be able to hang out easily enough to stay friends? What if they all forgot about each other? The new magical world Harry had entered not long ago felt like it was falling apart at his fingertips.  
A Slytherin prefect took the students to the Slytherin common room, which startled Harry long enough to take in how incredible it was. On the other side of the room, the walls and ceiling stopped at a large dome of glass that gave a view into the lake. Worried students were quickly reassured the glass was protected. Several mermaids were pressed up against the glass, hoping to catch a sight of the new students. The Slytherin prefect addressed the mermaids using sign language, and a few of them swam off. Harry could almost hear the others giggling as the perfect rolled her eyes and proceeded to show the new students around.  
Harry had a hard time sleeping that night. The beds were fancy and it made him uncomfortable. Other new students whispered and giggled with each other, but Harry was alone. He was just grateful none of them tried bullying him, but he figured it was just a matter of time.  
Even when Harry did manage to drift off to sleep, it was unrestful. When a perfect woke him up, he could barely open his eyes against the exhaustion.  
"Better get up, Potter" Draco said sarcastically. He was already in his robes. "You wouldn't want anyone to think the famous Harry Potter doesn't know how to get ready on time!" He rushed out of the room and two students followed him, laughing.  
Harry tried to hurry and get up but he got caught in the blankets and fell to the floor.  
It was going to be a long year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while folks, I haven't been able to find the time. But trust me I intend to keep this thing going!


End file.
